Gibson said he has state permits for two more annual events, and next time around, he hopes to include international talent, expand the event to the Neighbor Islands and incorporate a conference encouraging global cultural exchange, creating as much as a week's worth of events across the Islands.

Dates are not yet set.

"It's amazing we got the first one off, after weeks of inclement weather," said Gibson in a telephone conversation from Napa Valley, where he is staging a series of summer events.

After three decades of public inactivity inside Diamond Head, Gibson presented a Crater Celebration last April 1.

Though marred by mud and rain, following an unusual spell of 42 days of rain in Honolulu, the event attracted an orderly sell-out crowd of 7,500.

The crater was the site of periodic rock festivals in the 1970s and '80s, but those were known for noise and rowdiness, while last year's carefully organized event drew a well-mannered (and older) crowd.